Civic Impact

Women's local short-film contest prize: international screenings from Women in Film and Television

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Women in Film and Media: Pittsburgh Founder and President Faith Dickinson says the local chapter of Women In Film and Television International is "fairly large for the city," but one thing they've never had in their seven years is a winner of the WIFTI Short Film Competition. WIFTI winners are screened on International Women's Day (March 8) in WIFTI-chapter cities all over the world, from London and New York to locations in New Zealand, Denmark, Germany, Iceland and India.

That just might change with a shift in the contest rules. This year, rather than just one international competition, the local chapters are staging a preliminary round of judging. The Pittsburgh group today is announcing the first of what they plan to be an annual short film competition, with a submission deadline of Sept. 12. Films must have been completed in January 2010 or later, must be 45 minutes long (or shorter), and must have a woman as either the director, producer, actor, writer, director of photography, animator or editor. Directors are given first preference, and woman-centered films with strong female characters are encouraged.

The contest opens with a July 18 screening of The Lost Garden at 11 Stanwix Street downtown, where one attendee will win free admission to the contest, which costs $25 for group members and $40 for nonmembers. On Sept. 22, select entrants will be screened publicly and the audience and a WFM:P panel will decide on the two winners together.

The local cash prizes are still being determined, but Dickinson believes entrants will be most excited about the possibility of getting such a wide screening. "It'll be screened all over the world," she says. "That's a big wow for a small entry fee. If they make it to the end, it'll be huge."